AUSTIN THEATER REVIEWS

The words 'a collection of original short plays' have a tendency to either excite the seasoned theatergoer or strikes fear in their hearts. Every brilliant work was once original, and therefore some original work can be brilliant. On the other hand, a night of original short plays can be like Forres...

There is indeed so much potential in Austin's young performers. An especially talented group can be found at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, as evidenced in Thursday night's production of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps....

The production may feature performers ranging in age from 13 to 18, but the entire cast is polished and poised well beyond their years....

Oh, Edward Albee. No one writes an American family drama quite like you....

It's no secret that Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's most neglected works. Despite its well-known characters (who doesn't know who Cleopatra was?), the play is rarely produced. In a program note, Poor Shadows of Elysium's Artistic Director, Kevin Gates, suggests that the play's decline i...

Sleeping Beauty, with its prologue and three acts, has a relatively short running time, even with two intermissions included, making it a fun choice for the little dancer in your life. This Mother's Day weekend, audiences will flock to see this ballet, not only to hear Tchaikovsky's brilliant music ...

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Based on the best-selling 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo and set in both rural Devon, England and war-torn France during World War I, War Horse is truly a perfect marriage of art, music, choreography and storytelling....

Poor, plain, easily ignored Nemorino. He's so in love with the beautiful Adina, but she doesn't love him back. Ultimately, lovesick Nemorino is forced to buy a love potion from a charlatan to win Adina's heart. While that may be the plot of Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera, it doesn't take a potion t...

If you saw Georgetown Palace's recent production of Lend Me a Tenor (or if you didn't, for that matter), you have good reason to see Moon Over Buffalo, now in its final week of performances. The similarities between the two shows are easy to pinpoint. They're both by Ken Ludwig. They're both backsta...

I'm convinced that the city of Wimberley houses the Central Texas theater community's best kept secret: The Wimberley Players. The humble theater company in the small town of Wimberley is one of the best, brightest, and most professional theater companies in the area. Even Austinites who are vehemen...

To Austin area High School English teachers, I sincerely apologize if any of your students see The Baron's Men's current production of Romeo and Juliet. If they do, they may enter your class with the false belief that Shakespeare's play about impulsive, horny, and eventually suicidal teens is meant ...

Austin Playhouse's world premiere proves to be funny and thought-provoking....

There's a good reason why the work of Dr. Seuss still remains part of American pop culture. His wit, humor, and iconic style are timeless, and his stories engage kids of all ages. If you don't believe me, go to Zach Theatre and see their stage adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. While kids will love t...

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To borrow from my favorite boozing broad, I'd like to propose a toast: To Austin Theatre Project. With their production of Company, ATP shows once again why they are a new theater company to watch. By tackling Stephen Sondheim's beloved show about the ups and downs of both marriage and bachelorhood,...

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I have no doubt that selecting a theatrical season must be an incredibly challenging task. Making a last minute change to your season must be even worse. Different Stages, one of Austin's most consistently impressive theater companies, was posed with such a problem this year when they were forced to...

There's a great Hollywood myth about the film version of The Color Purple. The beloved classic about African-American women was directed by the very male and very white Steven Spielberg, but he allegedly almost quit the project days before shooting was to begin. According to legend, Steven called th...

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It's tough to decide what I like more, a great production or a great new theater. Thankfully, I got both during my recent trip to Texas State San Marcos Department of Theatre and Dance. Their current production of Anything Goes is stunning, as is the new Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre....

It is hard not to like The Gospel at Colonus, the current Zach revival at the Topfer Theatre. The production is at once joyous and tragic; beautifully rich and amazingly stark - it will have you on your feet swaying to heartfelt, robust gospel music and it will also push you hard in your seat as yo...

Over the course of his fifty year career, Stephen Sondheim has written shows of a predominantly darker hue. He's tackled stories about showgirls who are past their prime, a barber turned serial killer, a giant who destroys a fairy tale kingdom, presidential assassins, and an entire country selling o...

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A word of caution to writers everywhere. Never use a word as bland as 'ordinary' in the title of your work. Its use will either be prophetic or grossly inaccurate. In the case of Ordinary Days, it's a bit of both. While Penfold Theatre's production of the new chamber musical features some of the gre...